A Common Well Journal publishes bi-annual volumes of fiction and poetry. We aim to foreground a pluralist approach to style, theme, and content, ambitioning to cement a dedication to the fullness of language as the medium and message of literary work.
We believe language has the power to both set the world in order and to create it anew, that from the word the mind comes to be, that the old verities can be forever subsumed in new forms, and that the new paths can be laid level with ancient tools.
Language is the soil of Eden.
Language is the last remaining commons.
Language is infinite, form is eternal.
We are always looking for work that takes seriously the fact of its being an artifact and object—a thing brought into being. In the one realm of reality there are many worlds, many emanations of the same shared matter—different jugs drawing from the same well—, as such, an author’s work should fundamentally reflect the uniqueness of their language for expression… Truth and Beauty are many-sided things…
There is genius in every scrawling hand, so the Editors of A Common Well Journal commit to responding personally to each and every submission received. Fostering the craft of submitters with considered encouragement, criticisms, and whatever insights we may be able to offer is key to our editorial approach. The goal here is to cultivate a corresponsive relationship with all those pursuing their individual brilliance in good faith.
EIC and Editor of Fiction—K Hank Jost: K Hank Jost is a writer of fiction, editor, and educator based in NYC. He has published two novels, Deselections and MadStone, and his short fiction has been featured in several journals, including Serpent’s Club New Writing and Archway Editions Journal. He teaches privately and at Gotham Writers Workshop. He is currently finishing shopping his third and fourth novels, Aquarium and Ordinary Time.
Editor of Poetry—Daniel Kuriakose: Daniel has published in several small journals, and has poems forthcoming in Lana Turner Magazine. He has worked for the Brooklyn Review, and currently teaches at Brooklyn College.
Digital Designer— Sydnie Hyams is a designer and writer (kind of born, but definitely raised) in Brooklyn, NY. They spend their days working in publishing, in the world of A Common Well Journal, and running their own publishing project, GUM. She has work published across a variety of zines, journals, and indie magazines.